Studies reveal just how important friendships at work are. Gallup research shows that close friendships at work boost employee satisfaction by almost 50%. They explain that employees who have a best friend at work are seven times more likely to be emotionally engaged on the job. People with friends at work are 96% more likely to be extremely satisfied with their life.
Mother Teresa
None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonferful
What if… Taken from www.joelstockstill.com
Mark 13:35– You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the Master of the household will return–in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. Don’t let Him find you sleeping when He arrives without warning. I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for Him!!!
In a day where there are so many things to be worried about (like jobs, cars, global war, economic hardships) there is something that should be of far greater concern to us as believers and of such gravity it is impossible to articulate for those who are not, the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ!
What if the Lord Jesus returns tonight? What if it were this year? What if 2010-2020 was the last decade of the dispensation of the Church as we know it? Some would foolishly answer, Who cares? I don’t know about you but I sure do! Like a classroom full of students that have been temporarily left by their teacher, we the church have been put on “honor code” and left to finish the assignment of the Teacher (which is the Great Commission).
Many people who call themselves Christians would change the way they relate to the Lord Jesus if they knew He were about to come. They would seek His will, read His Word, pray without ceasing… you know, all those things we are supposed to do according to the Word of God that we don’t because we really don’t think He will come in our lifetime?
As for evangelism, I know personally that my emphasis on being a “fisher of men” would shift drastically if I knew that His return was anywhere close to becoming a reality. Would you not at least call and plead with your loved ones to reconsider their position? Would you not cry and wail in desperation before a gracious God to save everyone you know who is not sure of their salvation? What if?
What if is a question that we should ask ourselves daily and sometimes hourly. There should never be room for complacency and compromise. The day is drawing near and the time is shorter than you can imagine. I would be a fool to say I know the exact moment of His return but I tell you with all that is within me I feel it is close as in 20 years or less. For those of you confused or interested in knowing more about this topic please see 2 Pet. 3 and marvel at the mercy of God. What if? Let it ring in your ears.
2 Pet. 3:9-The Lord really isn’t being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
The Movement is now 7…
www.sevenlv.com
Ecclesiastes 5:2
“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”
Wow! Those are awesome words from the wisest man on earth. I have resolved to talk less and listen more. I hear so many people talking. Talking about what “God told them” even though it is totally opposite of what “God told them” last month. The Devil is a liar!!! If people spent more time listening and less time talking they would not put themselves in bad situations and would also not look so foolish.
If you are ever wondering what to say… Don’t say!
Mark Driscoll, you are the man!
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven… a time to be silent and a time to speak…
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7b
It was a very normal day until I realized that I was actively destroying my own soul.
The day began with my alarm jolting me awake. I immediately turned on my BlackBerry to hear it chime for each voicemail and email that had been left while I slept. I stepped into the shower where I listened to my waterproof radio. I then turned on the television to catch some news while I dressed. Driving to work I tuned in to some talk-radio banter.
Throughout the day the chime on my laptop kept ringing as email arrived, and my cell phone continued to vibrate and ring on my hip. Before long, I needed a break, and I put on my iPod to go for a walk.
On the drive home, I again listened to the radio in an effort to drown out the blaring horns of frustrated fellow commuters. After eating dinner and tucking my five children into bed, I turned on the television to watch shows I had recorded on my Tivo.
As I drifted off to sleep, it dawned on me that I had not had one minute of silence during my entire day. It was possible, I realized, that I could live the rest of my life without ever again experiencing silence.
In that moment, God deeply convicted me that I was addicted to the false trinity of our day, the gods known as Noise, Hurry, and Crowds. I remembered the words of missionary martyr Jim Elliot, who said, “I think the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds . . . Satan is quite aware of the power of silence.”
I began to ponder what Jesus’ life might be like if He lived today. Would He be available to all of His followers twenty-four hours a day on His BlackBerry? Would He have left His phone on at the Last Supper and been continually interrupted by needless calls? Would He have failed to stop and speak to needy people because their weeping was not loud enough for Him to hear over His iPod as He hurried past them on His way to a meeting He was already late for?
In that moment I prayed, asking God for His wisdom and help to save me from myself. God answered my prayer and reminded me that Jesus often took periods of prayerful silence to hear from the Father and to ensure not that He was doing everything He could, but that He was doing only what was most important. For example, before beginning His public ministry, Jesus spent forty days fasting from food, people, and noise in an effort to prepare Himself to fully accomplish what God the Father had given Him to do on the earth.
Moreover, the Bible says in Luke 5:16 that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places.” Jesus spent considerable time alone in silence to pray, rest, and focus on what priorities He should be devoting His time and energy to. This helps to explain why, in just three short years of ministry, Jesus had a greater impact on history than anyone else who has ever lived.
The Bible also describes multiple benefits of purposeful silence, including:
- hearing from God (1 Kings 19:11–13)
- waiting patiently for the Lord to act (Lamentations 3:25–28)
- worshiping God (Habakkuk 2:20)
- knowing God better (Psalm 46:10)
- praying effectively (Luke 5:16)
Since God convicted me of my addiction to noise, I have sought to conform my life more to the pattern of Jesus’, which has proven quite helpful. I try to spend at least five minutes an hour in silence, at least thirty minutes in uninterrupted silence each day, and a full day in silence once a month. During those times I find myself going for silent prayer walks to listen to God, writing in my journal, and sometimes doing nothing at all, which for me has become an act of faith that God is at work even when I am not.
My prayer is that those reading this who, like me, are guilty of noise addiction can also experience the regular gift of silence because that is often where God is waiting for us. There was silence before God spoke the world into existence, and silence for forty days before Jesus began His public ministry, which may indicate that silence is what allows us to speak as God intends.
www.lifechurch.tv
Today I would like to share a blog from Pastor Craig from Lifechurch.tv. It speaks to all of us not just to Pastors.
What Keeps My Passion Alive
Posted: 04 Dec 2008 04:42 AM CST
I am as susceptible to spiritual droughts as the next pastor. Because I know my vulnerabilities, I work hard to keep my passion alive.
Here are a few things I try to revisit:
See God working in another part of the world. God is so much bigger than what we see week in and week out and our churches.
Visit an impoverished place at least once a year. Some moms choose what to feed their children. Some moms have to choose which children to feed. Putting yourself in a place that crushes your heart keeps the passion alive.
Fasting. I don’t know why fasting works, but it does.
Develop friendships with non-Christians. Caring about people far from God helps keep me closer to God.
Devoted time to prayer. If I don’t spend time with my wife away from all the other pressures, it is hard for us to stay close. My relationship with God is the same. If I don’t spend time with Him, how can I know Him?
Give extravagantly. Something about giving big breaks the grip of this world and connects me closer to God.
Cry. For a number of years, I didn’t cry. I’m not sure I could cry. By God’s grace, I broke through it and can cry easily now.
Visit a cemetery. Seeing today in light of eternity always changes me.
My good friend Will…
Willy is one of the most amazing photographers I have ever met. Use him for your next shoot. http://www.branlundphotography.com
Grace upon grace…
John 1:16 says: “And from his (Jesus) fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” When we think of grace as a doctrine, definition or just as theological reality we lose sight of what it truly is. Have you ever heard a preacher say “Grace is the unearned undeserved unmerited favor of God!”? Well, that is true! But how does that look in our everyday lives? Is grace simply a cover up? If that were so then grace would empower us to sin and since we have received “grace upon grace” then all we have really received is a license to sin.
Paul said that “the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” (Titus 2:11-12). Grace is more then a doctrine or a teaching, it is a person and his name is Jesus! Notice that Paul said that grace teaches us. Under the law God gave commands. Under grace God teaches us to say “NO” to sin because of the destruction it will cause us. The commands are still there but now there is power and revelation to conquer anything that is not of God! I love that our God is teacher, not a drill sergeant. It is easy to tell people what to do but it takes love and patience to sit down with your child and train them in the way that they should go.
Jesus, you are my saving grace and my teacher!
Give thanks…
Yo, just wanted to say it’s so easy to see what is wrong in our lives and not be thanksful for what is going right. Paul said to give thanks IN ALL THINGS. Today, take time to count your blessings and be grateful!
